The big man dipped his head and grunted once, lumbering forward with an expression that Chance would not forget if he lived a thousand years. No heat in his face. No soul in his eyes. He closed his fists as if he would simply beat the boys to death, and then find someone else to kill for fun. But the small man had a different plan. He allowed his friend a single step more, then conjured a blade, and opened his neck like an envelope.

37

The warden’s day quickly went from bad to worse. His secretary called in sick, he spilled coffee on his best shirt, and by eight thirty, he’d received two calls from the governor asking that he reconsider a media presence at the execution. It seemed images of Lanesworth Prison were already running on major affiliates up and down the East Coast, and the governor was unhappy.

I see your prison on every network program but Captain Goddamn Kangaroo!

That was the most polite part of the conversation.

The governor, it turned out, was not a forgiving soul.

“Alice.” The warden stepped into the secretary’s vestibule. “It is Alice, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. From records.” She frowned from behind the small desk, an iron-haired woman with enough spine for three men. “I have covered this desk before.”

“Of course you have.”

“December 3, 1968. Good Friday, the following year. Two days in March of ’70…”

“Yes, I remember. Thank you. May I ask you a question, Alice?” He did not wait for a response. “Do you watch the evening news? I mean the national news. I’m wondering if there’s been much interest in tomorrow’s execution.”

“You don’t watch the news?”

“But you do, I presume?”

“Walter Cronkite. 60 Minutes. It can’t just be The Lawrence Welk Show, now, can it?”

She sniffed in disapproval, which the warden ignored. “The execution?” he asked. “Much interest?”

“Oh yes.” She nodded solemnly. “There’s been tremendous interest, what with Juan Corona caught last year, and Mack Ray Edwards and that other one, I can’t remember his name. Then there’s the Gaffney Strangler, the Broomstick Killer. Only last month, four girls have gone missing in Seattle, and probably more we don’t know about yet. I shouldn’t be surprised, working where I do and knowing what evil dwells in a man’s heart; but it seems there are always new depths yet to plumb. There’s even a new term they’re using. Serial killer, if you can believe such a thing. So yes, the news is talking, and people are listening; and I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. A good execution is exactly what this country needs.”

“Umm, yes. Well. Thank you, Alice.”

“Yes, sir, and God bless you for what you do.”